The Cantolia incident: (ACT 1 - The Enemy Of My Enemy)

[L. Declis]

+++Wen'Li+++

When she walked into the room, she damn near dropped in fright.

That stink of spice. The stupidly white hair (everyone knows the correct colour is black, it means you have more melanin and can survive more radiation). That annoying clinking noise (playing with his coins again like a child). He probably arranged all the bloody guns in the back room.

"Hec", she coldly announced to the back of his head before storming over and taking the seat as far to the right of him as she could be, next to some... lizard... dog... thing which turned it's head as if listening and seemed to be making some kind of grumlbing noise. Hungry? Who knows.

"I'm surprised you're alive. I never did get to thank you properly for getting me off planet." Making a point to stare in front of her, she continued in the same neutral voice. "I also never got to thank you for just up and leaving me in the middle of Zara knows where."

She turned to glare at him, expecting some sort of response. She then looked back to the front of the debriefing room, not looking back to the Sentinel or the red... lizard... dog... thing next to her. How do you even talk to such a thing? Does it even speak Common? Or Ceresian? Is she expected to bark? Heat was radiating off of it

She sat as tall as her back would allow her and decided to wait and see. Whatever else the Sentinel was, he was a good shot, and she did owe him. She hoped he only got shot in non-vital areas.

 

[Demonjazz]

Location: The Drunken Moose, Tavern. Evening
Apollo hated his down time. He was just made for combat, and for some reason the marines were much more attentive of his homilies, one time he even had a man make a donation to him... So far that was the only donation that he ever got to date... It was a single dollar. He still kept that dollar, and framed it on his wall with a plaque under it saying "Hail To the Chief. He has awarded thee for your efforts.". He didn't have as much luck outside of the corp. In just one day, He had ninety-two doors slammed in his face, fifty people that laughed at him, about thirty moms hurriedly pulling their children away from "The Strange Man", and a couple of kids chucked rocks at him! He was nursing a headache from said rocks at his usual place.
"What happened this time, Apollo?" Said a woman working the bar.
"Just keep 'em coming, Bonnie!" He said while downing another beer. It tasted like rat piss, but it was cheap.
Bonnie brought out another beer, and looked disapprovingly at Apollo. "Come now, you can tell me. Was it that church of Yog-Sothoth down the street again?"
"No, there were these kid-Wait, I got to take this call." He sat there for a moment, listening to the phone before a huge grin overtook his face. He took a handful of change, and slammed it onto the table before rushing outside.
Apollo was shouldering past a crowd, and rudely pushing his way to the front of a line for a taxi, and chucking a man's luggage out of the trunk. He loudly shouted over everybody saying things like "Important military business!", and "This is a matter of national security!". He took out a big wad of bills, and chucked it to the taxi driver. "Get me to the nearest space station in less than ten minutes, and you can have all of that! Do whatever you need to!" and with that, he speed off towards his destiny... Or well he had stop at his house first actually, but after that it was destiny!

 

[Redryhno]

A thousand stares accompanied Van as he walked off the shuttle onto the Adalon, just as many curious as there were terror and a few hungering.

Looking out from beneath his face-shell, presenting nothing but the slight glow from his sets of eyes, he chittered and cricked, his translation drone flying about around him translating it as best it could while he pulled his trolley along behind with two legs hooked around the bar while attempting to avoid passer-by.

"Excuse me, pardon me, sorry for the inconvenience, I know I take up alot of space."

Stopping for a moment, he moved his head around to the bay inside the shell and fiddled with a screen using his mandibles, changing the pitches and tone of the translation voice to better suit the crowd he was with and maybe to better garner attention if he needed it for the job.

The Kirickqk clicked his way through the crowd, the drone hovering around with a new voice, something he believed was considered feminine and thus more likely to be listened to considering the array of humanoids before him. They did place higher emphasis on their females didn't they?

"Apologies, coming through, please put that away sir - sorry - miss, I'm a ship mechanic, not something you need to kill."

Arriving at the designated spot, he believed so at least. Fiddling again with the housing he brought the translation drone in closer and looked through the offer to be sure he was at the right spot. A chance to find his kind that left in legend generations(?) ago? And a bundle of credits? This was a good deal so far as he was concerned. Finding that to be untrue, he continued on. Arriving at the room, he secured his belongings and entered, ducking down quite a bit for his legs to fit inside. The masks and that glorious invention were amazing to say the least.

Inside, he found three others already sitting and so presented his face-shell to them as the drone translated, the colors fluctuating with the drone's speech. He'd had alot of practice doing this since leaving what these people called the "Nightmare Moon" and so it matched up reasonable well.

"My name is Kolanold Melvess'Til'Vanhers-Srehnav, mechanic commissioned for this Cantolia business, I do believe I am in the right place, am I not?"

 

[Demonjazz]

Apollo had also been making his way towards the Resolute. In fact he was doing so at the exact same time Van was making his way towards it. In fact he was leveling his plasma rifle right at Van, very carefully lining up the shot to make sure that he didn't hit any civilians, and waiting for just the right opportunity. He steadied his breath, and was just about to squeeze the trigger when... It talked. Everyone knows demons don't talk... Or at least any he ever heard of... It was probably safe to assume anyway... Or at least that's what he told himself.
As he entered the room with the others he was eyeing Van very suspiciously although he was making a very valiant(and obvious) effort not to. He snapped a smart salute to everyone, and loudly introduced himself."Lieutenant Mctaggart, R. Apollo reporting for duty! I am overjoyed to serve the greater good by bringing both the NEA, and The Dominion, close together to ensure peace between our two empires! All while exploring the cosmos, and assisting the investigation of the recently disappeared Cantolia! May this peace between our two nations last a hundred years!" and then he took very precise movements to pull his chair out, and sit in it... He was still desperately trying not to stare at Van or say anything about him.

 

[Terratina.]

Sister Adhira'al had received another message of guidance from Most Holy Ankor, and she was thankful. With her front section coiled up, legs and mandibles moved to produce a prayer of gratitude. Once again, she would be an agent of balance. Even if it meant assisting heretics, however, in helping lost sheep find one of their own, there would be an opportunity to get them on the right path. Besides, the thought of declining the mission hadn't entered the Akrav's head; it was a Templar's duty to carry out such tasks. Adhira'al looked up, ending her prayer. There was only the mission now, everything else was irrelevant, including the discomfort of being coiled up simply to please a humanoid-centric universe.

Multitude tiny legs carried Adhira'al to one of the many counters in the spaceport. A bulky set of muscle looked from the desk, eyes blinking. The clerk's voice rumbled, "How can I help ya?"

The translation device Adhira'al wore was configured to output a female alto voice. But that did little to offset the chittering, which many races found menancing for some reason. Nevertheless, her reply was simple, "Zaraqusa guide you. Passage. CNS: Adalon."

"Ya just missed one," The clerk replied with a scratch of the head, "It'll be back soon though, so just pay 'n' wait."

'Rich and poor; enlightened and ignorant. The flow of currency has its own equilibrium, perhaps.' The Templar mused as she nodded and paid then went to the right shuttle gate. Adhira'al emptied her mind and sung hymns in her own little way while she waited, with the translation device turned off lest someone object. Besides, disturbing others would bring a small amount of chaos into their lives - something to be avoided if at all possible. The shuttle arrived and Adhira'al got on, still singing. It was her favourite thing to do during the humdrum of going from Point A to Point B. Soon enough, the Akrav stood on the CNS: Adalon. After the routine checks, a helpful NEA officer pointed her to the debriefing room. Adhira'al thanked her and entered it, sensing various organisms.

The Akrav bowed, "A servant of Zaraqusa greets you all. I am Adhira'al, and I will be joining you on this mission."

 

[Nick Bounty]

Location: The desert moon of Salvator, Argor Sector. Dominion Space
Current Hunt: Strix (plural; Strixi)

Spoiler: Strix

[sub]Image credit: Todd Marshall[/sub]

"What do you mean half as much?" Val growled at the diminutive man before him. "You said 3000 credits to get rid of the Strixi infestation from the Badlands. I held up my end of the bargain" he dangled the severed Strix head as proof, the blood which still dripped from the creature's gaping neck, splattered squarely on the face of the now terrified man. "I believe you, please put it away...is it..is it..really dead?"

"Of course it's DEAD! It's head is no longer attached to its body. This kills most things" Val snapped getting impatient. It had been several days since he had last gotten paid for his line of work and was in no mood to haggle. All he wanted was some credits to buy lodgings for the night and then getting off this foresaken moon.

"Look, I don't mean to insult your knowledge and your skills...but....the deal was to kill the infestation. You've only killed one creature, albeit, a very large one" the man who called himself Oliver began. As the head of the local hydroponics outpost he was elected by the settlement to hire and manage a Beast Hunter, a task he now deeply regrets

"Strixi are pack hunters as you are well aware and this is their Queen" Val dangled the severed head again, splattering more blood onto Olivier. "I've cleared the nest north of here, the tracks indicated that was their staging area for their night raids onto this settlement. You can send a patrol and confirm the 20 corpse I left around the nest to get to to this thing" he dangled the head of the Queen again, this time Oliver tried to dodge the splattering blood but was unsuccessful. "So you will find that I have killed 21 Strixi today and more importantly taken out their leader in the process. Without the Queen the Strixi cannot mount any attack - its the most efficient solution than spending goddamned months in this hellish moon crawling down every damn crevice to hunt down every Strix I find."

"But...." began Oliver

"It's your damned fault and the fault of the Dominion for settling on this moon. This is their home, it's always been their home. You are the clowns that decided to settle in the midst of a hornets nest. These are mindless beasts, very simple evolutionary plan - eat, reproduce and die. Your arrival has only diversified their meal plan. Now I've fixed the problem for you the best I can, and given their reproductive cycle, you won't have another Queen emerge for another 200 years - so you are safe, your kids are safe, grand-kids and great grand kids are all safe...for the low, low, LOW, cost of 3000 credits."

"We..ah, don't have that kind of money" Oliver stammered.

"What?"

"We had that kind of money but it's no longer with us. Dominion soldiers introduced war taxes recently, because, you know..of the conflict thats brewing...and we had to pay a substantial amount to the regional office in Shrowind. I am sorry but your timing was unfortunate, we had the ad up for months but -"

Val raised his hand in frustration. His muscles were twitching under the strain of his hunting pack and the deep cuts on his back and arms from the Strix's claws stung as the sweat induced by the sweltering heat found its way into the lacerations.

"We can give you all we can spare, 800 credits and free medical for those cuts sir. They look painful"

"1000 credits and spare the medical. I have my own remedy for the cuts."

"950, that is really all that we can spare"

"Deal" Val grumbled. He knew the ad had sounded too good to be true, still 950 credits will buy some decent brew at the local tavern he hoped.

Oliver nodded and quickly scrambled towards his office eager to wash the Strix blood from his face and clothes. He knew beast hunters were temperamental and most definitely inhuman - often having their genes altered to give them an advantage over their various prey. I wonder how close they are to becoming beast themselves he mused while transferring money into a cred-stick.

He returned to find Val partway through treating and dressing his own wounds while staring intently at the holo-pad on the ground. Val was staring so intently that he paid no attention to Oliver or the outstretched hand containing the cred-stick. "Where is the nearest off-world Shuttle?" he asked not looking up from the screen

Oliver thought for a moment "Aeriador Station takes you to the orbital outpost above us - there are off-world shuttles there. Aeriador is 2km West of here though"

"Perfect!" Val replied as he finished the last application of chemical salve and dressing. He grabbed the cred-stick from Oliver and with a curt nod set off in a westerly direction. "Oh I forgot" he added turning back to Oliver who stood to watch the hunter leave "You should keep this" Val tossed the Strix head in Oliver's direction who fumbled the catch "It'll make a good trophy on your office wall"

"Adalon, here I come" Val thought to himself. "Finally a payday worth risking your neck for"

 

[L. Declis]

+++Wen'Li+++

And that was when a Kirickqk walked into the room. A bloody Kirickqk? Wen'Li thought as she stood to her feet. Well, with that poison and that famous armour, there were at least two good warriors on this trip. It opened it's carapace to reveal a lot of glistening eyes and then started flowing rich with colours in what was, admittedly, an impressive display. The drone above introduced the Kirickqk in the same lilting accent as the NEA officer before. A female Kirickqk? Do they even have genders?

"Greetings, Master Kolanold" she curtsied deeply, partly to hide a gulp. An Engineer? They're not known for engineering . "May I introduce us. I am Sister Mei, the man to your left is Hec, and this is..." she motioned towards the red... dog... lizard and ended weakly, "This is also a member of our team."

She quickly turned her topic back to Master Kolanold. "I am to be the healer of this group. I have studied your biology extensively. We had a group of your kind come to my planet once in search of aid, and while we administered it, we learnt much. I hope to treat you well in the future." She finished with a bow.

Then entered a man in very thick armour and a very large gun, who saluted sharply, introduced himself like a shotgun blast, and before anyone could respond, sat right in a chair. Wen'Li suppressed a smile. He seemed nervous. "Well, Master Apollo, Zara bless you, I hope you enjoy this mis..."

Then walked (Walked may be wrong... Skittered?) in an Akrav. Wen'Li finished her introduction. This alien looked interesting.

"Mission. I am Sister Mei, and I hope to keep you alive should Zaraqusa will it." She finished with a bow, and turned to the Akrav.

Alien or not, at a glance, Wen'Li knew family when she saw it. The Akrav was covered from head (Head?} to toe (Legs?) in Zaraqusan writing, a glorious bright white Zaraqusan text against the mottled brown of her chitin, and a scarf of the Church was wrapped around it. She took in the cybernetic claws (Lost in battle? Nicely replaced. Slight battle damage. Used recently? Too devout to fix it, or too devout to have the time to fix it? Appearances perhaps too decadent to worry about? Or too alien to notice?)

It began to chitter, and a women's voice floated out. At the mention of Zaraqusa, Wen'Li bowed deeply, her hand placed over her heart (and the necklace beneath her armour), before stepping forward to this Sister Adhira'al.

She placed a hand on one of the cybernetic claws. "Dear Sister, you have fought well for us. I am blessed to meet such a zealous warrior. I am Sister Wen'Li, and whatever else happens, I am glad a Templar of our church comes to fight for us." She ignored the chittering. Zaraqusa chose his warriors and such decisions were above her. Still, she had to suppress a shiver. With the healer comes the killer , the thought leaped into her mind. Zaraqusa had a sense of humour, as they say.

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

[HEADING=3]7th Moon of Mrrm
[sub]Dun-Karrack Sector[/sub][/HEADING]

"Is that really it? It just looks too perfect," noted a rather sizable worm-like being, two eyes on the ends of fleshy stalks firmly transfixed on his prize. Four of his six hands reached out to delicately grasp a sealed glass container that housed a budding plant sitting comfortably in moist soil. "It's so picturesque--I could swear it came straight from the journal."

Taak couldn't help but smile at the man's wonder. "It certainly shares some resemblance, does it not?"

"Yes, I couldn't have asked for a more ideal...how did you even-"

"Ah, ah, ah," Taak tutted, raising a finger at a brown-furred bug. "The thing about my secret methods is that they are my secret methods."

"I know, I know. I don't know how to thank you. For everything."

"Well, by paying me for starters."

"Oh. Oh! Yes, of course," said the six-armed worm. While the four hands that held the jar secured it carefully against his body, the other two reached into a belt pouch for a credit chip. Graciously, the creature handed it over to Taak who accepted it just as courteously. The worm pointed the thumb of its three-fingered hand back towards its moderately luxurious abode. "If you have time, perhaps you'd like to come inside for a moment, have a drink or two with an old friend?"

"Actually, that would be quite-" was all Taak managed before being interrupted by a message coming up on his HoloBrace. He held his arm up and, with his free hand, navigated to the notification. It was a job offer. A job offer with generous remuneration. A job offer with such generous remuneration, there was simply no way he would consider turning it down. "Splendid."

"Hm?" Inquired the worm, looking curiously at the preoccupied amphibian.

"A drink would be splendid, my friend," Taak replied with a friendly grin. "But I hope you'll excuse me for my visit will have to be brief."



[HEADING=3]The CNS Adalon; Serendib - Low Orbit
[sub]Dun-Karrack Sector[/sub][/HEADING]

The shuttle trip from the nearby station was thankfully not particularly eventful, and fairly swift. It seemed Taak barely had time to really settle in before the warship came into view. Not long after, he was setting foot onto the docking bay floor. There was quite the bustle about, which made Taak even more appreciative of the visible indicators to the meeting. He knew well enough not to disturb operations in such an environment. Thought for him, it was more about simple propriety than any potential repercussions.

Taak followed the markers and, making good time, found himself in the conference room doorway. He nodded at the varied assortment of attendees in greeting, meeting eyes with all but one that was physically impossible to. The amphibian recognized the Aaken immediately. He opened his arms and walked toward the familiar face, speaking warmly. "Raed! You, here? Such a pleasant surprise!"

 

[Random Fella]

"Hec" A familiar voice announced from behind him.

"I'm surprised you're alive. I never did get to thank you properly for getting me off planet. I also never got to thank you for just up and leaving me in the middle of Zara knows where."

He remembered Wen'Li from assisting her sisterhood in sneaking her out of Xin'Sheng, a planet he was meant to be observing the movements of several parties during the time.

"It's nice to meet you..." Hecasi pretended to observe the person records to find her name.
"Wen'Li, is it? It's good to hear someone on the ship is trained to mend wounds rather than cause them."
Hecasi collected the coins in the palm of his hands, more individuals were entering the room.

"I think you have me confused with someone else however, I've never been assigned a personnel extraction mission." He quickly glanced at Wen'Li, a more stern look on his face, but only for a split second.

By now, the several creatures entering the room came of a surprise to Hec, clearly most of them weren't even allied with the dominion. Not being one to question authority before waiting for answers however, he did not speak up over it.

The strangest thing was the several varying creatures, Hecasi had learnt a lot about the wildlife of several planets, as is required to survive in different harsh environments. Bi-pedal 'aliens' were of no concern to him, nor were creatures such as the Akrav, devoted to their faith rather than being mindless animals (though their figure didn't solidate his trust in them).
However the Kirickqk and especially the Aaken were concerning. The Kirickqk, though capable of reason and thought, held no specific allegiances, and can be quite dangerous. Whereas the Aaken are animalistic, and generally purely carnivorous hunters, though this one clearly has something altering it's behavior, but to trust a piece of technology to hold such a creature at bay would be foolish in Hecasi's mind.

 

[DarkRawen]

Raed could smell a lot of people with odd smells and odd shapes, the sounds some of them made was unfamiliar as well, not human nor humanoid, more clicking than thumbing. Colder and warmer body temperatures than there were supposed to be, different shapes returned from the echolocation.

Wonder what kind they are.

There were more humans in the NEA -at least, in its experience- but some of these were clearly rather far from human. Raed itself was rather far from human too, it couldn't even speak with the same tongue a human could, simply let a machine speak for it. Listening to the introductions, sort of taking notes of the names, Kolanold, Apollo, Sister Mei, and a "A servant of Zaraqusa". Zaraqusa was the god, Raed recalled -although, what was a god, beyond a creator of people? Raed couldn't smell any god- but servant was an odd name. Perhaps not a name, but a title?

Others have called themselves servants.

Servants of justice, of peace... it supposed it could simply be a nickname too. Of course, the train of thoughts was lost when a familiar smell filled the room, it took Raed only a couple of seconds to remember Taak, the nice scientist who had explained so much when Raed was still a child. Having a hard time keeping its tail from wagging back and forth, Raed eventually allowed it when hearing how happy Taak was to see him.

"Raed! You, here? Such a pleasant surprise!"

Raed couldn't help but whine a little as well as it approached Taak, rubbing its nose against the Niilan archivist as a greeting. It was a bit embarrassing to be making those kinds of noises in front of a crowd, Raed thought it sounded like a baby still when it did that. Still, it was its happy noises, and it did want Taak to know that it was happy to see him.

"Hello friend," it said once it had finished physically saying hello, smelling if Taak was well, which he seemed to be. "Long time. Raed is field agent, help searching."

 

[Terratina.]

"Dear Sister, you have fought well for us. I am blessed to meet such a zealous warrior. I am Sister Wen'Li, and whatever else happens, I am glad a Templar of our church comes to fight for us."

'Base instinicts and rational thought.' Was another thought which came to mind as Sister Wen'Li introduced herself. While Adhira'al was glad to see a fellow follower of Zaraqusa, the Akrav didn't wholly appericate Wen'Li's insistence about placing one of her hands one of Adhira'al's metal claws. Especially when the Akrav's underbelly was partially exposed. What was it with humans and all this touching? Though Wen'Li was only trying to be courteous, such a gesture back on Chilai - claw on claw or claw in claw - was a great way to start a fight. Funny how gestures translate from star system to star system. On another note, despite the polite welcome, Adhira'al could sense some fear coming off the fellow Sister. 'Only natural.' The Templar concluded.

The Akrav decided to return the favour, placing the other unfeeling, cold metal claw on top of Wen'Li's hand, "The fight eternal wages on, fellow Sister, on infinite fronts. It is but a Templar's duty to be wherever Chaos hides."

With that, Adhira'al turned away. What she didn't expect was witnessing a happy reunion. As soon as the clicking, chittering chanting of hers began again, the... lizard guul[footnote]Chilaian equivalent of Earth canines.[/footnote] thing was all over a Niilan who had yet to introduce himself. Adhira'al stopped the chant as soon as it was interrupted. Seeing as she had no need for them, the Akrav tucked away her cybernetic limbs. They were mostly meant for combat anyway. An Akrav using them for anything else was unheard of, fine manipulation was left to the legs, each playing the part of a tiny finger. Of course, this left a busy Akrav vulnerable as the body had to twist around to accommodate, leaving the soft underbelly exposed but such was their lot in life. Adhira'al liked to think that Zaraqusan principles also applied to hands. Well, she liked to think they applied to everything.

 

[Demonjazz]

When the "Millipede Demon" walked into the room Apollo was visibly panicking, but was able to stammer out a sentence to Wen'Li.
"Military, uh, goes by, uh, Last name... Uh, First!.... And I, uh, Prefer, uh to be, uh addressed as, uh Lieutenant" He was glancing over towards one of the "Demons" in each pause. He was starting to sweat, and tried to scoot as far away as he could from the two insectoids. He was probably sitting elbow, to elbow with the person next to him now.
Oh chief! What do I do!? There's a giant millipede scorpion, and some spider turtle! What kind of fucked up evolutionary path would make such a thing! They must be from hell... Just like most insects really. What do I do?!... I'll Fake Insanity! Say you can't take it anymore, and throw a chair, and run screaming around, and then shoot both of them!... But then I wouldn't be able to go on this mission... And I would be in jail.... Uh... Kill them in their sleep! Wait till they go to sleep, and then... What if they don't sleep!?... What if I bring it up to the rest of the group! They'll understand that these things are demons... No, No! They'll probably think I'm insane! They can see them too!... Or can they?... Maybe only I can see them?... Maybe I actually am insane, and I'm hallucinating?... Should I bring it up to everybody?
Apollo looked around very nervously for a minute or two. He sat, Contemplating that question before he couldn't take another second of this, and suddenly blurted out. "Does anybody else see the two demons sitting at this table! Please! Someone tell me I'm not crazy! These are just aliens right! They just happen to look like demons! Right! Right!" At the last two words, he reached over to the nearest person and grabbed them by the collar, frantically shaking them back, and forth... After a moment of silence, Apollo sat down. He cleared his throat very loudly(And awkwardly),making an incredibly conspicuous attempt to look composed. "... Uh... Just wanted to know."

 

[Kaboose the Moose]

[HEADING=3]Location: Somewhere in NEA space[/HEADING]

"You have got to be kidding me" Felina snapped "It's clearly a trap" she folded her arms across her chest glaring at the man before him. Adam ignored her thousand yard glare and simply replayed the transmission for the fifth time.

"Fenton vouched for the transmission and so did Kaydon. Other runners have gone and come back in once piece, it seems legitimate" he said with a hint of puzzlment in his voice

"Of course they would. The NEA are after you, me and this ship. Our records are longer than most warships. It's so plainly a trap, why are you so blind all of a sudden" Felina was getting concerned with the level of determination Adam was building up on this topic. She knew that once he was committed not a lot can be said or done to change his mind. She was not looking forward to lingering in NEA space longer than they had to. "Besides" she added "We have a mission of our own. "We have to deliver 2500 circuit boards to Karnoss for Cypher. We have to finish the deal"

"I know. I know" Adam mused still staring at his console in the pilot seat. "Look, I won't deny the money isn't tempting but they specifically want our ship for the mission. We got a chance to do good for a change. Don't you ever get tired of running from the law"

"The law? sure. Not the damned Colonial Navy. We keep running from them, nothing every good or productive has happened by being associated with them" Felina sighed. "Look, you're the captain. I don't know why we are still discussing this but you clearly want to give this a look see"

"We know Marcus. He's NEA but...a decent man. His message said a full-pardon, credits and a no-obligation chat. If we don't like the offer we walk away"

There was a long pause in the cockpit as Felina furrowed her brows to think. The gently hum of the engines and the occasional tone from the sensors broke the monotony inside the Resolute. "Alright!" she said finally "First sign of trouble though, we are Jumping - even if it means jumping from inside their ship"

Adam laughed. "Sounds like a plan. Send Marcus our response on this frequency and I'll take us to Dun-Karrack" he handed Felina a datapad who begrudgingly retreated to the bridge to set things up. A few minutes later her voice over the intercom "sending transmission now" followed by another confirmation "We have acknowledgement by Marcus. We are cleared to dock with the Adalon"

"Acknowledged" Adam spoke into the intercom. He disengaged the auto-pilot and took manual control of the Resolute, with the ease of a skilled pilot he quickly flicked a series of switches. "Deploying Jump Plotting antennas" came an automated voice from the console next to him. The resolute had made many FTL Jumps to Dun-Karrack before, it was a process that was well ingrained to the ship and its crew. Although a vast network of Jump Gates existed throughout NEA and Dominion space that were capable of taking the Resolute to its destination, Adam hated using the Gates. Several Free runner pilots and captains have reported malfunctioning Gates which catapult ships into random directions in space or the more sinister tales where pirates hacked or sabotage gates in key traffic lanes causing targeted ships to Jump into an ambush location. It also didn't help that Adam didn't care for new technology - he was a firm believer of the tried and true technology of the past.

"Enter Jump Coordinates"Adam keyed in a series of digits into the flight computer. "Jump Calculation Complete. FTL ready" came the voice again swiftly.

"Standby for Jump" Adam spoke into the intercom as he increased a throttle like lever and flicked a switch. The hum of Resolute's engines changed swiftly into a roar as a huge surge of energy was released from the FTL drives. The ship began to vibrate and gather speed at an alarming rate, the G-forces rose sharply pressing down heavily on Adam and Felina forcing them into their seats. This was an ordeal they knew all too well, the blood draining from their limps as its pulled to their feet, the changes in pressure in their inner ear, the slight nausea and disorientation as the ship approach the critical speed and then.....silence. An odd silence. The Resolute disappeared from view and all the G-forces and discomfort diminished inside the ship

And in a flash the ship had arrived in Dun-Karrack.

The G-forces rose again, briefly this time, as the ship automatically began decelerating post Jump to cancel out its forward momentum. The sudden deceleration meant that anything not nailed down or secured would careen forward violently. This was when most people inexperienced with FTL travel would begin experiencing nausea and vomiting as the physiological stresses and pressure imbalance would irritate the more sensitive of travelers.

"Jump 375, Completed. FTL disengaged" came the electronic voice.

"Welcome to Dun-Karrack" Adam called out behind him.

[hr]

"We meet face to face at last" said Marcus extending his hand to Adam "I assume you have a lot of questions"

Adam paused before accepting the handshake. He did not want to start on the wrong foot here and Marcus was the more tolerant of NEA officials he had ever encountered. "I got the gist of it, you have a crew?"

"Sort of. We have been holding trials and the last 4 batches have wahed out. Most were too eager about the money and lacked any form of discipline. Batch 5 is gathering in the conference room as we speak. We were hoping to introduce you -"

"Hold on" Adam interjected "You're assuming I have accepted your offer. I need to see that official pardon for me and Felina first"

Marcus nodded and produced two official looking documents "With complements of a clean-history from the office of the Admiral"

"Ooh la la" muttered Felina sarcastically under her breath. She was walking six paces behind Adam and Marcus keeping a weary on the pair and her surroundings.

"We have a diverse range this time around. Humans, a Kirickqk an Aaken, an Akrav..the whole spectrum has shown up. They seem, at the very least, competent..which I couldn't say about batch 3. There is also a pilot, medic and mechanics this time around - critical roles for the mission" Marcus continued. "We just need a captain and a capable first officer...and a ship"

"And that's where we come in" Felina chirped "I am more concerned that this crew you have are not up to the task set before us. What would they know of Search and Rescue in uncharted space?"

"We have been going over their records or what we have and know about them. As best as our intel can discern they are the most capable set of applicants we have had yet - most of them have the skills we are after, almost all of them have long and distinguished careers and/or experiences in their chosen field and most of them appear capable of defending themselves or taking care of others in a supporting capacity. As it stands I would say they are better than most NEA recruits joining the academy." Marcus sighed "Look. We can't force you here and as we said you are free to leave if you wish but we need your help. Without you or your ship we have no expedition and with no expedition we have no way to ascertain the fate of the Cantolia..if we don't get answers then we are heading to pointless and unjust war. The admiralty would like to avoid this if possible as would the Dominion"

Adam glanced at Felina who only shrugged in response. He paused for a moment before turning to Marcus "Oh, what the hell. The money is too good to just walk away. Lead us to your crew"

Marcus smiled slightly before walking to a nearby console, he pressed a button that patched him into the comms system of the ship. In a second his voice boomed through the hallways:

"All recent arrivals aboard the Adalon seeking the Cantolia expedition, report to conference room A if you have not done so already. I repeat, all new arrivals report to conference room A. You will be joined at 0400hrs by the Admiral of the NEA Colonial Navy, members of the allied council and the Captain and Executive Officer of the Resolute. Thank you"

Marcus then turned to Adam and Felina and gestured down the corridor. "This way sirs, if you please"

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

"Hello friend. Long time. Raed is field agent, help searching."

"Yes, friend, too long," Taak said as he gave the Aaken a firm scratch between the ears. He decided to take a spot next to Raed, setting his pack atop the conference table. "You've certainly grown quite a bit in all that time. Much taller than me now. I'm happy to see things are going well for you." The Niilan took a seat and looked around at the various faces at the table. Then a look of shock appeared on his face and he immediately stood upright. "Oh my, where are my manners? Ahem," he cleared his throat, hoping to catch the attention of at least a few of the others. "Taak Saalii of Niilaar, at your service. I assist in the maintenance and expansion of the Federal Archives. I aim to supplement this search party with my experience and knowledge. It is a pleasure to be working with you all."

"Does anybody else see the two demons sitting at this table! Please! Someone tell me I'm not crazy! These are just aliens right! They just happen to look like demons! Right! Right! ... Uh... Just wanted to know."

"Ahem," Taak began, leaning closer to the man who was evidently in hysterics. "I don't know if it's jet lag, or if some contaminant has breached your helmet, but I do believe that you would do well to remain calm. And perhaps not call some of these folk 'demons'. There's substantial negative connotations that I'm certain some would find offensive."

 

[Texas Joker 52]

= MAR =​

Location: Dun-Karrack Sector, aboard the Devil-Fish; On approach to the CNS Adalon, currently in low-Serendib orbit
Local Time: Unknown

Getting the Devil-Fish to the Dun-Karrack Sector had taken some doing, including paying for passage on a cargo freighter heading in the same direction as Serendib. But after they got within shuttle-range of the Adalon, Mar bid the freighter farewell and started to fly the rest of the way in the Devil-Fish with a grin on her face.

Her passenger was less pleased.

"Remind me again, why did you drag me along with you, girlie?" the human just behind her asked as he loomed over her shoulder and peered at the viewscreen from behind a few stray locks of hair.

The best way to describe him was scruffy: He had long, greasy brown hair and a grizzled beard and mustache and wore a dark green jumpsuit with the sleeves rolled up along with a black simulated leather vest. His dark eyes darted over to Mar's face, partially hidden by her helmet, and his mouth twisted into an expression of exasperated confusion.

"Because, Zom, if anyone is going to take care of my baby while mommy's away, it's going to be you. I wouldn't trust the Devil-Fish to anyone else, and I've got no idea if the ship I may or may not be flying will have room for it. So, someone's gonna have to fly it back." she told him easily.

"I'm flattered, but how am I supposed to--" he started, only for the console to ping twice at an incoming transmission.

"Quiet." Mar told him as a false-hand flicked open the local comm channel.

"Incoming vessel, you are on approach to the CNS Adalon: Identify yourself immediately." spoke a harsh voice.

"This is the Free Runner shuttle, Devil-Fish," she told them before rattling off her registration code so that they could make sure they knew who she was, "I'm here in response to the transmission calling for volunteer pilots."

There was short pause before they responded.

"Acknowledged, Devil-Fish. Proceed and approach the vehicle bay, sending you the plotted course now." the voice told her.

As the course came up on the screen, her smile took on an edge that Zom immediately noticed.

"Oh no, Mar, please do--" he pleaded, but he was interrupted a second time, this time with his own scream as Mar twisted the controls and set the shuttle into a sharp dive at full-speed in the direction of the Adalon.

She leveled off just as sharply, and as they approached the vehicle bay, she suddenly cut the engines entirely before turning the thrusters opposite of one another and engaging them again. As the shuttle made a quick about-face, it drifted backwards into the Adalon's bay and landed surprisingly gently.

Once the Devil-Fish was effectively parked, Mar took off her helmet and set it against her hip with a true hand as she stood.

"Hold down the ship for me, alright?" she told her passenger as she stepped past him.

"You're a crazy *****." Zom promptly told her with a shaky voice as he clutched at the floor.

About ten minutes later, at the direction of several officers, Mar found herself just outside of a conference room in her pilot's jumpsuit with a puzzled expression on her face. A distinctively insect-like being passed by her on it's way inside, and with a shrug she followed not far behind.

"Hi there. Name's Mar, and I heard you'll be needing a pilot for this expedition?" she asked, looking around and giving her best, most charming smile as she sat down at the table.

What she pulled off was a sinister grin, showing off gleaming white teeth.

As she looked around, she noticed a surprisingly diverse set of people apparently waiting to be evaluated. Though one of the humans seemed to be noticeably distressed by some of the more unusual arrivals, calling them demons. She just shook her head and kept quiet. Some people, she thought, simply weren't fit for living with other species it seemed.

 

[Nick Bounty]

"We have arrived at the Adalon, Sir" a voice roused Val Roubel from his sleep. The flight had been long, uncomfortable and exceedingly dull. To pass the time Roubel had decided to count the number of jump gates between Shrowind and Dun-Karrack but quickly grew bored of the game when he lost count at 20 something. His fellow shuttle companions were also not very entertaining, mostly businessmen and important dignitaries that had the air of authority around them, they seem to hardly give Roubel a second look. He could swear though he spied someone watching him intently as he began to dissemble and clean his shotgun partway through the trip. This was the highlight of his journey.

Disembarking on to the Adalon's busy shuttle deck Roubel stretched to get the blood circulating to his limbs again. Everything around him was very hectic, there were several flight entering and leaving the massive dreadnought and the ground crew seem to be swarming between every craft on the deck carrying supplies and fuel lines. He tried to get someones attention to gather directions but failed on numberous occasions - it was simply too loud and everyone was too busy. It might be quieter inside he thought putting on his pack and heading for a flight of stairs marked "To Deck 02".

Deck 02 it turned out was a service deck, crammed with various mechanical workshops and heavy machinery. People were still running about with clipboards, holo-pads and service droids making routine sweeps "Excuse me!" Roubel called out to a passing figure in dirty overalls. "I am looking for the Cantolia expedition"

"Ah, you must have missed the announcement!" the creature creaked with its antenna "Get to Conference room A" he pointed with his claws drawing a crude path in the air for Roubel to follow.

"Cheers, mate" Roubel nodded before setting of again down the corridor and up a flight of stairs. Two left hand turns later he found himself standing outside a doorway labeled 'Conference Room A' Inside there were several figures, the other expedition members, Roubel surmised. He had encountered the Aaken race before but the specimen before him stood out in particular - perhaps it was because Aaken these days are a rare sight being almost extinct or maybe it was because Roubel was seeing a more restrained Aaken for the first time, either way he was pretty excited to get acquainted. The Kirickqk was another interesting element for Roubel, he was familiar with their race and culture and identified the member as possibly belonging to the scientific caste, further investigation would be required. The Akra, Roubel finally noted, was a mystery. He had never encountered the race before only being familiar with them from texts. The strange scripture on the chitinous shell he surmised was not native to the insectoid culture and must be of an external origin, it was then when he noticed the scarf baring the symbol of the Zaraqusian church. A Templar! Roubel exclaimed to himself. Most curious

A figure in combat armor and specs suddenly drew Roubel's attention, the load-out was classic Dominion Sentinel. The man in question was talking to another individual, a woman in white and red garments. Roubel did not recognize the latter but was eager to introduce himself to a fellow Dominion citizen. He approached the pair slowly and introduced himself politely: "Sorry for the intrusion, I couldn't but help notice another Dominion member in these ranks. My name is Roubel. Val Roubel. I am myself from the Dominion. I presume we are all here for the Cantolia expedition?"

 

[Random Fella]

"Sorry for the intrusion, I couldn't but help notice another Dominion member in these ranks. My name is Roubel. Val Roubel. I am myself from the Dominion. I presume we are all here for the Cantolia expedition?" Came an unfamiliar voice.

"No apology needed" Hec replied, a smile across his face as he came to greey Val.
"Yeah, you've got the right place, probably got a similar message to me." He answered.
"Quite frankly I'm happy to see I'm not the only dominion soldier on this vessel, I was starting to worry. I wasn't told we'd be actively on duty alongside these" Hec's eyes glanced across the room, observing the several NEA and Free-Runner members in the room.
"Debatabley nation-friendly individuals." He finished his sentence.

"The name's Hecasi, I'm a Sentinel from the capital." Hecasi stood up to face Val, offering his hand to greet him properly.
Observing his Edraxxi hide garment, alongside the rest of his custom made wears. pointed to his profession being a hunter, but Hec wasn't one to jump to conclusion and possibly make a fool of himself.
"It's good to meet you Val, that's quite the Leather you're wearing." Hec commented, in an attempt to confirm his observation.

 

[L. Declis]

+++Wen'Li+++

As the Templar placed her second claw over the first, Sister Wen'Li felt a cold sweat down her back. She was chosen by the church, she can control her baser instincts. With the rude but welcome diversion of attention to another member of the party, Wen'Li straightened up and gave a small sigh. A fellow Zaraqusan is no more a threat to her than the air. But her obsession with hunting Chaos... but what of the temperance of peace? Templars always seemed so... bloodthirsty.

She gave no notice of Hec's little dismissal; he wants to play games, let him. She shall confront him later. Master Apollo started talking... ranting... okay, now he was shouting, and sat down with something like deflation. A few more people entered the room. Wen'Li put a sympathetic hand on the poor man's shoulder; he seemed to be having a panic attack.

"Master Apollo, these are not demons. They're aliens despite their appearance, I assure you that they are quite tame and one of them is an agent of Zaraqusa, who has chosen to give us all unique appearances to serve peace better. I am sure you'll get used to it, the more you see." She sympathised. Some of them were quite... unusual in appearance, but she wasn't one to second guess the Creator.

She gave a flat look to the somewhat unsympathetic who was patting the... Read... dog thing and had begun scolding the poor man. Not everywhere was so... blessed to see the Creator's creations. She also noticed he had taken her seat.

Typical, she thought darkly.

Another one walked in, gave a large, gleaming grin with far too many teeth, saw Master Apollo ranting, and walked away shaking her head. The lines of disharmony were beginning to form already, and in such cracks Chaos does grow like mold. She'd have to sort it out later.

She looked over to Hec and this new Master Val. Instinctively she dropped her eyes. She may be a citizen of the Na'Daaash Dominion, but she had no idea if he had come to join the expedition or finish the job. She noticed that Hec bothered to be polite to him. Hec didn't even bother to introduce her.

Typical.

She bowed slightly to the newly arrived Master Val, but kept her distance. Let them discuss weapons and blood. Besides, Master Apollo might start shooting people, and this entire venture would be dead before it left the room.

 

[DarkRawen]

"Yes, friend, too long. You've certainly grown quite a bit in all that time. Much taller than me now. I'm happy to see things are going well for you."

"Very tall. Raed can be ridden into battle," Raed said, recalling that it had been mentioned a couple of months ago. It had sounded like a compliment, so the Aaken was sort of boasting. Then it noticed the distinct smell of Taak's friend, yet did not pick up on its heat signature.

"Smell of monkey, but no monkey. Did you eat it? Or not bring?" Raed's tail didn't come to a halt before it realized that, and it curiously sniffed the pack it had heard Taak put down. "Not here?" More were introduced, and Raed once again took note of their voices and smells more than their names, it could not say those names either way, only think of them.

Mar, Val, Hecasi. From across the universe, it seems.

They carried the scent of the places they had been before, and few it could recognize with ease. It was about time it too introduced itself.

"I am Raed, Field Agent... NEA! Nice to meet everyone!" pleased with that it had managed to remember such a difficult sound as NEA, since it did not actually mean anything. Simply a sound it had made up in order for the translator to have something to tie the name into. Later, it had realized that it probably should have made it a simpler sound.

"Does anybody else see the two demons sitting at this table! Please! Someone tell me I'm not crazy! These are just aliens right! They just happen to look like demons! Right! Right! ... Uh... Just wanted to know."

Demon? What was a demon? People's reactions made it clear that it was not a nice term, and Raed tilted its head, confused. It was the one named Apollo who spoke, human. The breaths of those there sounded shocked, some possibly insulted or unhappy. Apollo was scared, panicking. Raed turned its head towards the smell of Apollo, and spoke.

"Don't be mean." Raed said, trying to be reassuring. Sadly, it was hard when you couldn't choose what way the words were spoken, simply the way you growled. Its tail was wagging, carefully, trying to let the other know it wasn't a bad thing. "Be friends. Don't be scared."

 

[Nick Bounty]

Roubel shook Hecasi's hand in greeting. "It's a pleasure indeed to meet a fellow citizen. It would appear that we both are a long way away from home"

"Quite frankly I'm happy to see I'm not the only dominion soldier on this vessel, I was starting to worry. I wasn't told we'd be actively on duty alongside these....debatabley nation-friendly individuals."

"Well politics isn't my forte but it is hard to escape the malcontent between our faction and the NEA. I can only assume that such an eclectic band has been put to gather to somehow promote peace and good will between our peoples, after all, if we succeed in this endeavor it would be because of cooperation and trust. It would send an example to the politicians back home that perhaps war is not the only recourse to our problems" Roubel paused to study the room again. His eyes fell on Apollo and the unfolding demon drama "For some people it seems it might take a bit of getting used to to work alongside non-humans"

"...that's quite the Leather you're wearing."

"Why yes, thank you. I am by trade a beast hunter from Kavanti. The nature of our work forces us to value lightness and durability and so prefer to make our own armor. The leather is made from the hide of the Edraxxi, a particularly aggressive creature native to my homeworld. This one in particular had been harassing a small fishing village and I was asked to thwart its next attack. The hide does fetch a pretty price at the marketplace because it is rare and quite durable against the elements but I opted to use it for my own ends. It has served me pretty well thus far" Roubel concluded with a smile.

He was suddenly aware that he had interrupted a conversation between Hecasi and the lady in red and white garments. He turned to notice the latter bowing slightly - whether she was shy, hiding her face or conveying respect he was uncertain. "I am sorry, I don't believe we have met. My name is Val Roubel" he bowed hoping this was not somehow an insult to her customs.